Minnesota's 2028 Class Has a Tight End Problem. The Good Kind.

Willmar's Cooper Schnichels, Eastview's Gabe Granger and Waconia's Griffin Mittelsteadt lead the juniors who raised their stock this fall, with five more names close behind.

Three juniors. Nineteen feet, four inches of combined height.

That's Cooper Schnichels, Gabe Granger and Griffin Mittelsteadt stacked end to end. All three are long, athletic pass catchers who play multiple sports, and all three spent this fall turning Saturday visits into real recruiting conversations. Minnesota's 2028 tight end group is deep enough to be its own story. College staffs are already treating it like one.

Here's who rose, what the film shows, and what comes next.

Cooper Schnichels | TE/WR | Willmar

6-6 | 220 | Class of 2028

Start with the team, because the team is rolling. Willmar is 10-0 after beating Marshall 22-12 on Nov. 6 at a packed Hodapp Field to win the Section 2AAAA title. That puts the

Cardinals in the state tournament for the first time since 2018, and only the fifth time in school history. Next up: No. 3 Hill-Murray in the Class 4A quarterfinals Thursday at Blaine High School.

Schnichels is the matchup nightmare on that roster. His size isn't a guess. His height held up when it was measured at the Minnesota Gophers' prospect camp last summer. He's also a serious basketball player, ranked No. 61 in the state's 2028 class and No. 9 at small forward/power forward by PrepHoops, and he plays AAU for the D1 Minnesota program. Minnesota keeps producing high-ceiling tight ends, DBs and edge players out of its hoops scene. Schnichels fits that mold exactly.

The film backs it up. On his release he drops his hips and wins with a quick, clean move before the defender can get hands on him. At the top of the route he stops with no wasted steps, which is rare for a 6-6 frame. He tracks the deep ball well, and he has enough speed to run past a corner or safety, get on top of him and stay there. After the catch, his long strides and contact balance beat pursuit angles that were built for a smaller player. His catch radius does the rest. He snags passes away from his body, fully extended, with a defender closing.

Recruiting pulse: Wyoming, Texas A&M, Minnesota and UCLA have all been in contact and sent recruiting graphics this fall. He has visited both Minnesota and North Dakota State.

My call (opinion): Schnichels is the highest-ceiling pass catcher in Minnesota's 2028 class, and he'll have an FBS offer before the 2027 camp circuit wraps.

Follow: X @CooperSchniche | IG cooperschnichels

Gabe Granger | TE/WR | Eastview (Apple Valley)

6-5 | 205 | Class of 2028

Granger's rise started with tape from his sophomore year, a mix of JV and varsity snaps. That was enough to get the hometown Gophers interested. Since then the communication has picked up all summer and fall, and Minnesota has been in touch basically every week.

He's built from the same kit as Schnichels: tall, long, traits-heavy, with a basketball résumé to prove the athleticism is real. PrepHoops ranks him No. 108 in the state's 2028 class and No. 25 at power forward. You can see the hooper in his game. He has a big catch radius, soft hands and balance that shouldn't come with his size.

Then there's the track résumé. Granger throws for Eastview and has personal bests of 40-10.25 in the shot put and 124-2 in the discus. For a 205-pound pass catcher, that shot put mark is a real data point. It shows he can produce explosive force from a standstill, which is exactly what you want to see behind his blocks.

Two plays from his Week 1–4 highlights tell you most of what you need to know. The tape opens against Roseville with a one-handed catch while he's falling backward into the end zone. Later, against Rosemount, he comes across the line on a swipe-back block, times it perfectly and puts a linebacker on his back. In between, he high-points balls in traffic with defensive backs hanging on him. He holds on through contact over the middle. He sets the edge in the run game. He's equally comfortable split wide or lined up tight next to the tackle.

Recruiting pulse: Granger has been all over the gameday visit circuit this fall. He has been to Minnesota several times, most recently for the Gophers' Nov. 7 home game against No. 8 UCLA, which came in at 8-0. He has also visited Air Force, St. Thomas, Iowa State and North Dakota. Besides Minnesota, he's hearing regularly from Texas A&M, North Dakota State and North Dakota.

What's next: The camp circuit. Staffs want to see that height and burst in person, and Granger is one of the juniors I'd make a point to watch this spring.

Follow: X @GabeGr09 | IG gabrielgranger11

Griffin Mittelsteadt | TE/WR | Waconia

6-5 | 195 | Class of 2028

Mittelsteadt is the least talked-about of the three. That probably won't last.

He's a long, lean, two-sport athlete who also plays baseball for Waconia. On film he's impossible to miss, and FCS programs have noticed. This fall he has visited North Dakota, South Dakota State and Concordia-St. Paul.

The Chaska tape shows a side of his game that young tight ends usually lack. Lined up as an H-back, he blocked with real technique. His hands land heavy, and he knocked a few defenders off their feet on first contact. He then climbed to the second level smoothly and kept working out on the perimeter. Second- and third-level defenders don't have the size to handle him in space.

The Sauk Rapids-Rice tape shows the receiving side. He runs fluid routes with some burst at the top of the stem. He catches with his hands, away from his body. His long strides eat ground after the catch. In the red zone he ran up the seam for a touchdown, which shows why he's a goal-line target. When the ball went elsewhere, he still finished blocks and set the edge.

What's next: Offseason testing. Numbers from an unpadded combine setting, like verified measurements and change-of-direction times, will tell coaches how high his ceiling really goes. The physical tools are rare, and his film makes a strong case.

Follow: X @GMittelsteadt19 | IG griffinmittelsteadt

Also Rising: Five 2028 Names to Know

The tight ends get the headline, but they aren't the whole story. These five juniors also raised their profiles this fall.

1. Mario Robinson, DB, Champlin Park (6-0)

2. Moussa Dukuly, DB/WR, Champlin Park (6-2, 175), giving the Rebels two 2028 risers in the secondary

3. RJ Stuckey Jr., ATH/WR, White Bear Lake (6-0, 165)

4. Nicholas Van Heel, DL, Albany (6-4)

5. Ryan Stone, DL/LB, Two Harbors (6-4, 225)

Each of them is a candidate for a full film breakdown once the season wraps.

The Bottom Line

Minnesota's 2028 class won't be judged only on who's tallest. It will be judged on who proves it in shorts this spring. For Schnichels, the next stage starts Thursday night in Blaine.

Your turn: Schnichels, Granger or Mittelsteadt — who's the best tight end prospect in Minnesota's 2028 class? Make your case in the comments.

Track all eight juniors and the rest of the state's 2028 class on the RepMax recruiting board at RepMax.io.